Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Takeda receives FDA response regarding NDA for fixed-dose combination of alogliptin and ACTOS

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited ("Takeda") today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Takeda Global Research & Development Center, Inc. (U.S.), received on September 2 (U.S. TIME), a complete response letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the New Drug Application (NDA) for the fixed-dose combination (FDC) of alogliptin and ACTOS(R) (pioglitazone HCl).

4 Sep 2009

The 2009 Heart and Stroke Foundation Report on health of Ontario's kids

In 1998, the Heart and Stroke Foundation's Report Card on Canada's Kids took a hard look at the heart health of Canadian children aged 6-12. More than 10 years later, the Foundation shines the spotlight on Ontario's kids - and will be issuing its own Report Card on the heart health of this young cohort.

4 Sep 2009

94-year-old crusader seeks ban on trans fats in the American diet

Fred Kummerow, a 94-year-old University of Illinois veterinary biosciences professor emeritus who still conducts research on the health effects of trans fats in the diet, filed the petition with the FDA last month. The petition is now posted on the FDA Web site, and public comments are invited. (See below for information on viewing the petition and making a comment.)

4 Sep 2009

Americans' health perceptions contradict national statistics

We think we’re healthier than we actually are, suggests a new survey from market research leader Mintel. Surveying Americans about their health, Mintel found people’s perceptions strongly contradict national statistics about obesity, illness and wellness.

4 Sep 2009

Insects may guide in building better artificial tissues and organs

Insects are about to be analyzed in a new way by a host of Virginia Tech engineering faculty. They will be using some fancy state-of-the-art equipment, such as a kilometer-long synchrotron x-ray light source, which might be enough to scare any bug. And first up will be beetles, grasshoppers and silk moths because they have some endearing characteristics.

4 Sep 2009

Top cancer hospitals have Elekta solutions for information management

Sodium chloride for treating head lice

At just 31 years of age, and with a first grader in tow, single mom Wendy Langley set out to take on the giants in the head lice industry. The reason? She couldn't, as she says, stand putting a popular but potentially toxic head lice treatment that "smelled like bug spray" on her kid's head to kill lice. Plus, she was constantly terrified the runny liquid would seep into her daughter's eyes.

4 Sep 2009

New treatment for vaso-occlusive crisis in sickle cell patients

GlycoMimetics, Inc. (GMI), a clinical-stage biotechnology company that is developing a new class of glycobiology-based therapies for a broad range of indications, today announced that a pilot study of the company’s lead candidate, GMI-1070, is underway in sickle cell patients. The first patients in this pilot study were treated at Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland in California.

4 Sep 2009

First artificial heart implant successfully performed by a AUBMC medical team

A medical team at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) has successfully performed the first artificial heart implant in Lebanon, saving the life of a 37-year-old man suffering from terminal heart failure.

4 Sep 2009

Covidien's Sleep Diagnostic business acquired by Embla

Embla and Covidien have entered into a definitive agreement under which Embla will acquire Covidien's Sleep Diagnostic business. This includes the sleep diagnostic products sold under the Sandman(TM) brand name. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Completion of the sale is subject to customary closing conditions.

4 Sep 2009

Type 2 diabetic people not consuming healthy diets

People with type 2 diabetes are not consuming sufficiently healthy diets and could benefit from ongoing nutritional education and counseling, according to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues.

4 Sep 2009

Reliable and relevant information needed to rein in the costs of federal health-care programs, says study

For economists and policy-makers to understand the true value of the costs and savings of preventive health programs for chronic disease, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) should incorporate long-term clinical outcomes data and look beyond the 10-year window when making cost estimates, says a team of University of Chicago researchers in today's issue of Health Affairs.

3 Sep 2009

Boston Scientific reports two-year data from SYNTAX clinical trial

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ANPI, TSX: ANP) today announced that its corporate partner, Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX), has reported two-year data from its SYNTAX clinical trial comparing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using the Taxus(R) Express(R) Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent System to coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.

3 Sep 2009

Low HDL-cholesterol and high triglycerides linked to increased risk of CHD

Low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and raised triglycerides, affecting millions of patients worldwide, are strongly linked to significantly increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) even in patients who achieve or surpass current low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) targets.

3 Sep 2009

Pfizer pleads guilty of defrauding Medicare, Medicaid and other government-funded health care programs

Pfizer, Inc. announced today it has agreed to plead guilty to criminal conduct and to pay more than $2 billion in criminal and civil fines, penalties and damages to settle allegations made in multiple whistleblower lawsuits that the pharmaceutical giant defrauded Medicare, Medicaid and other government-funded health care programs in connection with its market practices for four of its drugs. The settlement is the largest qui tam settlement in U.S. history.

3 Sep 2009

SYNTAX clinical trial results announced

Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) today announced two-year data from its SYNTAX clinical trial comparing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using the TAXUS((R)) Express((R)) Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent System to coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.

3 Sep 2009

CRT-D implants for treating sudden cardiac death

Electrophysiologists Robert Stevenson, MD, and Jeffrey L. Williams, MD, MS, FACC, are safely implanting cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators in the Good Samaritan Hospital (GSH) Cardiology (Heart Failure) Program.

3 Sep 2009

TAHU recommends revision of proposed healthcare plan

The Texas Association of Health Underwriters (TAHU) released a statement on behalf of more than 1700 insurance agents from across the state of Texas outlining their recommendation for a revision to the proposed healthcare plan.

3 Sep 2009

New Technology Showcase highlighting life science technologies to be featured

LifeScience Alley announced today that eight life science organizations from around the United States and Canada will be exhibiting cutting-edge technologies at the association’s Annual Conference on Dec. 9 as part of the New Technology Showcase.

3 Sep 2009

FDA extends review period for Endo Pharmaceuticals' testosterone undecanoate

Endo Pharmaceuticals announced today that it has been informed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that the agency has extended its review period for its long-acting testosterone undecanoate injection for men diagnosed with hypogonadism, from Sept. 2, 2009 to Dec. 2, 2009.

3 Sep 2009